Finding Her Way Home
by rebelrsr
Chapter 15
[reviews]
Disclaimer: All things Buffy belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, and lots of people in expensive suits. I'm not making any money here, just trying to create a happier Buffyverse for my favorite characters.
Spoilers, etc.: "Dopplegangland," "Something Blue" and everything after "The Gift."
A/N: Character thoughts are enclosed by **. Flashbacks are enclosed by //. Thanks to Zenithar and Zigpal for the beta and encouragement! I couldn't do it without you.
Archiving: By permission only.
Buffy's impassioned speech stunned Willow. *She loves me? I mean, sure, she's said it before, but...* The witch halted the internal rambling. *I need some answers.* She called out to her power snake, uncoiling it from behind the Slayer's chair. Gently, it slithered back a few inches before lightly wrapping around Buffy's ankle.
The contact allowed Willow to get a vague sense of the blonde's emotions. Mental eyes snapping wide in disbelief, the redhead basked in the glow of Buffy's love. However, underneath the warm glow of the Slayer's love, cold darkness lurked. Her best friend had reached her limits. Rage, grief, and a smothering despair threatened to overwhelm the tiny blonde. Oh Goddess, Willow thought. The witch needed to get up. She had to talk to the other girl. But, no matter how hard she tried, Willow couldn't escape her limbo state. Snarling in frustration, she peered into her magical stores.
The blue pool ebbed and flowed against the crumbling barrier that remained after the firestorm. Its level was far higher than it had been that morning. The young witch tried one last time to maneuver back to wakefulness. Nothing happened. OK. *Enough of this. I have to get to Buffy before she gets into a fight with Kirstan or storms off in a snit.*
Willow considered an idea she'd had during her struggle to curb the fire raging around her friend. It just might work...
Concentrating, the young witch banished the ribbon of power stretching to the kitchen. She looked inside and examined her power reservoir. The wall reached just high enough to contain the seething blue pool of magic. However, Willow had not filled the storage area to overflowing when she'd recharged earlier. She had stopped at the top of the dam. It wouldn't hold if she lashed out again. She needed to take the wall higher and ensure there were no leaks. Simple, really, except she also needed to create a way to breach the wall when she needed to access the additional power.
Staring at the cobbled-together barrier, Willow knew she could fuse the materials into a solid mass. But, how could she make the wall higher? Slowly, an image formed in her mind. The redhead gave a moment's thought to the dangerous path she was taking, and stepped forward.
Tapping the pool of magic and augmenting it with power pulled from the natural sources in the area, Willow constructed a shield for the room. Jennifer would try to stop her. The witch knew that and took steps to make sure her mother couldn't interfere. She shaped the power into a thin curtain that stretched from ceiling to floor. Locking it into place, the witch drew in more power and fused a thin layer of magic across floor and ceiling. The room was sealed. It was time to begin the real work.
Willow opened herself completely. Power flowed through her channels in a surging blue wave. As it reached her center, the witch fed energy from outside herself into the mix. Magic lit the room. She kept control of the power, not letting it engulf her. Focusing the enormous amount of energy at her dam, Willow poured every bit of magic into heating the cracked and crumbling wall.
***
Kirstan and Jennifer looked at each other. "We're supposed to be surprised?" the red haired woman asked.
The Slayer hesitated, her anger faltering in the face of their combined calm. "I was kind of expecting it, yeah," Buffy mumbled, sitting down with a thump.
Jennifer chuckled. "Sweetie, we need to have a long talk with your Watcher. He's really neglected your training."
"What do you mean?" The blonde girl was confused by the apparent shift in topic.
"Slayers are paired with witches. That way, you can combine your physical fighting ability with Willow's magical one." The older woman cocked her head. "None of this is ringing any bells, is it?"
"No," Buffy whispered. *We're supposed to be together? Why didn't Giles tell me? All this time, we could have been a couple*. This news, on top of the day's other shocks, was too much. The world started to fade out, and she slid from the chair.
Kirstan saw the girl's eyes roll back in her head and dove for the blonde. Cradling the emaciated Slayer in strong arms, the brunette asked, "Jenny, can you go into the den and get Morgan? I'm taking this one to the guest house and settle her in."
"On my way," Jennifer replied, already heading for the hallway out of the kitchen. She stopped abruptly. "Fuck! Put her down, Kirstan. Willow's on the loose again."
"What?" The ex-Slayer gently placed her bundle on the table. "Is she OK?"
The older witch didn't answer. Eyes closed, she checked the lines of magic in the room upstairs. "I can't tell. She put up one hell of a shield. There's no way in."
"That's no way in magically. How about brute strength?" Eyes snapping with irritation, the tall brunette stepped toward the stairs.
The smaller woman grabbed her arm. "Even you can't break a barrier like this." She broke off, probing again at the magical force field. "It's amazing. I've never seen anything like it."
"Anything like what?" Buffy asked dazedly from her position on the table.
Shaking her head, Kirstan commented, "Are things always this lively when you're around?"
"Yeah. I'm like a lightening rod for bad luck, demon attacks, and world ending apocalypses." The Slayer sat up. "What have I fucked up now?"
"It's not you, really." Jennifer tried to reassure the girl. "Our daughter isn't doing the smart thing and resting right now."
"Will?" Buffy hopped off the table, grabbing the surface when her legs wobbled. "What's wrong with Will?"
"Nothing's wrong. She's blocked access to her room, though, and the power is building up inside the shield." Jennifer was preoccupied, and let the truth slip.
Before either of the adults could react, Buffy sprinted for the stairs. "Buffy, wait!" Kirstan went after the younger Slayer. She found the blonde pounding ineffectively at a shimmering blue curtain of energy and screaming her friend's name.
"Stop it! Buffy..." She grabbed the blonde, pinning her arms. "What do you think you can do? Break it down with your bare hands?"
The Slayer twisted violently in her grasp. "Let me go. I have to help her."
"You can't." She held the diminutive blonde against her chest, feet off the floor. Finally, Buffy stopped fighting her. "I'm going to put you down. Don't do anything stupid."
The Slayer didn't answer, but dipped her chin slightly in agreement.
Kirstan set Buffy back on the ground as Jennifer, Morgan, and Drew thundered up the stairs. "Anything?" Jennifer fired at the two Slayers.
"I don't suggest beating on it," Buffy admitted ruefully. She held up her hands, and the Hirsch family saw the bruised fingers. "I think I broke a couple of them doing just that."
***
As the heat rose around the dam, the magical debris filling the holes in the original wall liquefied. Blue energy melted and dripped in globs around the witch. Her astral form wavered in the intense temperatures. Pushing more power into the magical forge, Willow continued to heat the dam. When the wall glowed white-hot and most of the material had lost its solid form, she called up the wind.
Unlike the hurricane from the afternoon, this breeze wafted through the room, barely noticeable. Like a glass-blower, the witch drew the liquid material around a central core of power and let the wind shape it. Thinning it almost to the breaking point, the witch slowly drew the fragile energy up over the dam's foundation. The fluid creation flowed into the cracks, sealing them.
Sucking in even more power, Willow began the next stage of construction. She was out of building material now. She would have to create the last of the wall from scratch. The power she drew in for this task overflowed the reservoir. Waves of power spilled over the low wall, inundating the witch. Gathering the energy in a sphere around her, Willow held and heated the new magic into a thicker material. Straining to lift her unwieldy burden to the top of the barrier, the witch felt her energy stores dipping dangerously low. Unfortunately, she couldn't turn back now. She'd extended too far. Pulling back meant a magical backlash and no way to refill the reservoir.
Increasing the speed of the wind, the redhead manhandled her creation into place. The heavy liquid began to cool and harden. However, it would need special handling to contain her magic. In one violent surge, Willow yanked the heat from the magical wall and blasted it with subzero temperatures. The material turned to frost-covered stone. It was obviously newer than the original wall, but it was strong. Grinning in triumph, the astral witch reached for more magic and slowly refilled the reservoir.
The damage created by the nameless Evil and Rack had been repaired. Willow could return to learning magic with no worries about firestorms or dangerous magical tantrums. However, Buffy needed her at full strength; a novice witch would be of no use. Holding back fatigue with sheer force of will, the redhead began one final project. Still linked to the energy around her, Willow formed a laser-like beam. Keeping her focus narrow and intense, she drew the blue laser down the new wall, cutting a small door. The beam mutated into bursts of energy. It was done. A small hatch granted access to the reservoir, locked against intrusion with a magical keypad. Only Willow would be able to match resonances with the panel and open the hatch.
***
"Brute force isn't always the answer," Jennifer said. "Damned impatient Slayers." Grumbling, she reached for Buffy's hand.
"Leave it. I'll heal. Just find a way to get to Willow." The young blonde turned back to the glowing shield. "What are our options?"
Jennifer and Drew joined her at the barrier. "I'm not sure we have any." Jennifer sounded frustrated. "Willow's got the entire room blanketed in power. If we try to break through, the magic will just rebound on us."
Everyone stood quietly, minds struggling to discover a way into the room. "Mom?" Morgan began. "What if you don't try to break in?"
"I'm not sure I understand," her mother replied.
"Well," the younger brunette offered, "Willow warded the room against attack, right? I mean, that's the purpose of a shield. Could someone, I don't know, merge with the barrier and then just walk through?"
Frowning, Jennifer thought about the question. "It's theoretically possible, but I wouldn't even know where to start." She slammed her hand into the barrier, garnering shocked looks from the others. "We don't know Willow well enough to try matching resonances."
"You may not, but I do," Buffy stated quietly. "Tell me what to do."
Meeting the determined hazel gaze of her daughter's best friend, Jennifer nodded. "Touch the shield gently, and clear your mind."
Reaching out a tentative hand, the Slayer rested her palm against the warm, pulsing energy. She drew in deep breaths and used a meditation technique to drive all the thoughts from her mind. In the mental silence, magic grew. It felt familiar, and Buffy smiled. It felt like Willow. Bright, inquisitive, shy, and loving.
Jennifer's voice rang in a back corner of her mind. "You've entered the shield; don't rush. Continue to feel the magic and move forward. When you get into the room, open your eyes. I've established a small link and will be able to help you once I know the situation."
Reconnecting with her friend and her magic, the blonde remained motionless. More power ran through her body, and this time, the Slayer sensed old resentments, bitterness, and grief. Acknowledging her part in creating these emotions, Buffy opened herself to Willow and hoped the other girl would see her heartfelt apology. The power rippled and turned cold for a brief, frightening second before warming again. It brushed Buffy's mind with a formless hand, caressing the Slayer and offering forgiveness and love in return.
The Slayer stepped into the room and opened her eyes.
Willow lay on her bed, face lined with concentration. Sweat covered her face and cleaved her clothes to her slim frame. The room was eerily still. Buffy crept closer, alert for any sign the witch on the bed planned to lash out. "Will?"
Her friend didn't acknowledge her quiet query.
Hesitantly, the Slayer sat down next to the redhead. *Jennifer said the magic was filling the room, but I don't see anything.* The blonde gently brushed wet red hair from Willow's forehead. I don't like this. *Why isn't she moving?* Louder than before, Buffy called to the girl on the bed, "Hey, Willow! Come on, Sleeping Beauty, it's time to wake up." She shook the arm nearest to her. Nothing.
"Jennifer?" she asked in a shaking voice.
Faintly, a little voice answered, "I'm with you, sweetie. She's OK, Buffy. But for some reason, I think she's out of her body. We have to try calling her back."
"Um, alright." The Slayer stood up. "What do I need to do?"
"I want you to go back into the trance state and merge with the magic again. Reach out to Willow through the energy," the older witch responded.
Dropping her head to her chest, Buffy sank back into the embrace of Willow's power. The blue energy welcomed her back with gentle caresses. *Will?* the blonde called with her mind. *Hey, besty friend, where are you? I came all the way from Sunnydale to see you.*
At first, Buffy thought she'd failed again. But the power around her surged and a silvery mist appeared in front of her. The shapeless energy started to solidify. Willow smiled at the blonde, but the Slayer could see through the shape.
*Wow! Looking a bit pale, Will. What's wrong with the body on the bed? 'Cause I could use a hug right about now.* Buffy forced herself to stay calm. *Your moms have been giving me a hard time.*
*They're just protecting me,* the astral form replied. The ephemeral face split wide with a grin. *I fixed it, Buffy. I fixed the reservoir. My power is back under control.*
The Slayer stepped forward, but remembered she couldn't hug her friend in this form. *Damn. This sucks, Will. If you fixed the power thingy, why can't you come back to your body?*
*I don't know.* Buffy heard a hint of panic in the mental voice.
Standing just in front of the shadow witch, the Slayer tried a different approach. *Damn it, Will. This isn't the time for games. Something big's on the way. I sent Tara to LA to get backup. Dawn's at home alone doing who the hell knows what. I don't have time to sit around while you play 'Where's Willow.'*
The shade faded out and then reformed. *I know, Buffy. I just figure out how to get back.*
Throwing her hands in the air, Buffy snapped, *Just do it, Will. Stop analyzing everything and just do it!*
The misty form in front of her nodded once and then disappeared. The Slayer ran to the bed and watched the form closely. Nothing was happening. *Damn it, Willow. Please come back to me.* Grabbing the still hand, Buffy held it to her face. The limb felt cold and lifeless. "Please, Will. I need you so much. Open your eyes, baby. I know you can do it."
Buffy stood rigid, waiting for the slightest movement. An eternity passed before she noticed the color slowly infusing the freckled face below her. Green eyes blinked sleepily. "Buffy?" A grin lit up the room. "I'm baa-aack."
"Thank, God." The Slayer dropped onto the bed and pulled the witch into a fierce hug. When the girl squeaked, she released her grip. "Don't ever scare me like that again, damn it." Buffy pressed her lips to Willow's.